Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Odie

We went on our vacation last week and got home on Saturday afternoon. Sadly, the next day we had a tragedy in our family.

Our sweet little dog, Odie, passed away.

He had spent the week at my brother's home while we were gone and we arrived to pick him up at around 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. When we got there, my brother told us that he had thrown up that day, just a few hours before, but that he seemed fine. When we got home, he was extremely thirsty and guzzled tons of water. It was a hot day and we didn't think much about it.

Saturday evening we could tell he didn't feel well, and he threw up a few more times. We put him to bed thinking that he would probably be better the next day.

But as the day progressed on Sunday, he was not getting better, but worse. By about 8:00 in the evening, he was really sick and not doing much of anything. So we found a local pet emergency hospital and decided to take him in.

When Todd got there, Odie's heart stopped as soon as they tubed him. It started again on its own a few seconds later, but he wasn't stable. The doctor said that Odie had Addison's disease. It was going to cost $1500 to try and stabilize him and keep him for the night, and then a lifetime of expensive medication with no guarantee of normalcy. It was one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make. But in the end, we felt that we had to let him go. It was heart-wrenching!

Todd was with him for his last minutes and then he was gone. Todd brought Odie home, so that we could bury him in the morning with our family. By this time, it was after 10:00 pm and our kids were in bed. We decided not to wake them and tell them the news. Todd and I didn't sleep much that night. In the morning we had to tell our children of the tragedy. It is something I will never forget.

And then, we dug a hole....



Said a prayer....
And laid Odie's sweet little body inside.

It was a very tender experience and one I will never forget. This was the first time my kids have had to deal with death and there have been many heart-felt, teaching discussions following Odie's passing.

We don't have a marker yet for his grave, but we'll make one soon. His absence has left a huge hole in all of our hearts. Yesterday was a day of sorrow and sadness. It was full of tears and pain. And now we all miss him terribly.

We love you Odie. We're sorry you got sick and that we couldn't take away your pain. You will forever be in our hearts! Life just isn't the same without you. We miss you!!




Friday, June 26, 2009

Let the fighting begin!

This is the scene I came home to last night in my front yard.

Here's how you play the game:

The swords are placed in the middle of the yard.....(In case any of you are worried, they're only foam swords).

On the count of 3, everyone runs to the middle and grabs a sword....


Ninja's begin their magic.....Kung Fu Panda style......

If you get hit (sliced, cut, whatever you want to call it), then you're out......

Kyle got more than one life.....naturally.

And it just wouldn't be the same without at least one person crying in the end.....


FUN TIMES! Let the fighting begin! Do you think Todd should encourage this behavior? I promise I had nothing to do with it! :)

Friday, June 19, 2009

Happy Birthday Todd!


Yesterday was Todd's birthday and he turned THE BIG 40! Yipee! Now he can't say to me, "I'm still in my 30's." Too bad honey! Welcome to the new decade!

My kids picked out a little balloon for him and stuck it in his truck for him to find in the morning with some homemade cards. Unfortunately he didn't drive yesterday....he took his bike, so he didn't even see them until he got home. When he did see the balloon, he commented that it wasn't nearly as big as the one I got for my birthday. Do you remember the big smiley balloon? Here's a picture just in case you forgot. Yes, it's HUGE!


Here's the one Todd got for HIS birthday! Slightly smaller......


But you see, here's the thing. My balloon is STILL hanging in my living room, right where we put it on MY birthday.....6 WEEKS AGO! So I asked him why I needed to buy another BIG balloon, when we still have a perfectly good one already? (makes perfect sense to me). But here are the two of them together, so you can get the full effect. They're really only slightly different in size....HA!

At any rate, I refuse to take mine down until it dies (or gets popped by my children). I can't believe it's lasted this long. Perhaps I'll have it for my next birthday.....you never know!

Anyway, back to Todd.....I think he had a good birthday, although he had like 6 hours worth of meetings at work.....ugh! Last night we just relaxed as a family and watched Kung Fu Panda. Todd isn't home much, so a night together sounded just right! (And I'm always up for a lazy night at home....)

We love you honey! You're the best! 40 is looking pretty good on you! Here's to the next 40.....

Friday, June 12, 2009

Weird Al (and my son's twisted sense of humor...)

Okay, this is the kind of thing that I am forced to listen to from my teenage son. (And Todd quite enjoys it as well)...

But honestly, I have to admit that I DID enjoy this one. I laughed so hard I was crying by the end. Pretty funny!

Ignore the beginning with the weird pictures, but once the song starts sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!



BOYS! Now, don't you feel sorry for me? I'm all alone here......(But you've got to admit, it was pretty funny....)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

ERIC TURNS 15!

Well, my oldest just turned 15 years old yesterday. He seems to be handling it just fine....me? I'm pretty much falling apart. Do you realize that in just one year, he could be driving and dating? (and I use the word "could" because I'm not sure I'm going to allow it.....) :) Okay, I guess I have to let him grow up, but please know that I'm NOT happy about it.

He got a long-awaited ipod for his birthday and he played on it all day long....down-loading songs and videos. So cool for him. Eric's ipod is even newer than Dad's. (Poor Dad.....now he's jealous).
Here are a couple of pics sporting his new toy!


Do you like his shirt? "Somebody has to make this shirt look good." Yeah.....I bought that for him. Couldn't resist.

Happy birthday, Eric! We LOVE you! You are an awesome son and a great young man. Hope you had a terrific day!